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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26080348">The Last Ones</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catradora_fuels_me/pseuds/Catradora_fuels_me'>Catradora_fuels_me</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018), She-Ra: Princess Of Power (1985)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adora being our favorite dumb jock lesbian, F/F, F/M, Fluff, I may have sidelined Glimmer and Bow, Magic, Post-Canon, Road Trips, but like in space, glimmer can still tp, whoops</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 02:54:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>16,737</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26080348</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catradora_fuels_me/pseuds/Catradora_fuels_me</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After the events of season 5, the Best Friend Squad journeys with Darla all over the galaxy, restoring magic planet by planet. But then, one day, their next destination has a familiar name... Eternia.</p><p>I will be using a lot of elements from the two original shows and elements from the 2002 He-Man (which are all on YouTube, by the way) in this story. Obviously, the 2018 show supersedes all, but I will be including characters from He-Man, including Adam himself. I don't have an estimate on how long this will go, but I do have a few chapters planned out.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>116</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A Familiar Name</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Adora stepped off Darla, walking across the grey dirt of a planet that Horde Prime had once annihilated. She closed her eyes, listening with something other than her ears, using powers she barely understood. Unfortunately, all those who could have taught her anything about the magic she controlled all, sadly, died a millennium ago. She concentrated, listening to what she now knew as an extremely faint pulsing of magic. <em> There.</em> She opened her eyes and caught her breath—even the seemingly simple act of listening to a planet’s magical field took a lot out of her. Luckily, she seemed to be getting better at it. The first few times, she almost fainted from the sheer effort of it, only saved from cracking her skull on some annoyingly inconvenient rocks by Catra’s quick reflexes.</p><p>Catra. Even after the months they’d spent together, she still couldn’t believe that she was in a relationship with the love of her life… that, and she couldn’t believe that she hadn’t noticed it sooner. I mean, looking back it was so painfully <em> obvious </em>! Love may be blind, but even a blind beggar would notice the romantic tension between them a mile away. Adora stood up, dusted She-Ra’s gleaming armor clean, and reached out to Catra, taking her hand. Together, tailed closely by Bow and Glimmer—the two of them making eyes at each other so mushily even Adora had to roll her eyes—the Best Friend Squad made its way over to the spot where Adora had sensed the magical pole would be, about a quarter mile from the ship. Taking a deep breath, Adora raised her sword and plunged it into the exact center of the magical field, which seemed to follow the same basic rules as a magnetic field… but without Entrapta, they really didn’t have any idea on how to test that.</p><p>Focusing her innate magic as She-Ra, Adora <em> pushed </em> magic into the planet’s core, just as she had done at Salineas with the sea gate, only on a much grander scale. Luckily, she didn’t need to fully charge the planet; that would probably take too much power for even She-Ra, and the only major source of magic, the Heart, had been released into Etheria. But, due to some fundamental quirk of the universe, a proportionally small spark of magic was enough to kickstart a reaction of sorts, building upon itself in a chain reaction that would eventually bring some balance to this world, restoring nature to the devastated wasteland. They would have to stay for a week or so, they learned the hard way that this operation didn’t have a 100% success rate, but after that the planet would be ready for life to return. The universe was healing, even if it took a single planet at a time.</p><p>Exhausted, Adora dropped the transformation, flopping down onto the dusty ground, followed shortly by Catra. </p><p>Glimmer smiled, bending down to pat Adora on the shoulder. “Great work! Why don’t you two rest, and Bow and I will go get some dinner ready! When you’re ready to come, well, the ship isn’t far!” Without giving anyone a chance to get a word in, she had already grabbed Bow’s hand and teleported back to Darla, her purple earring flashing as she drew upon its connection to the Moonstone.</p><p>Catra smirked. “Well, Sparkles seemed in a hurry. Does she think I don’t know that all the food we have is that just-add-water-and-boil stuff?”</p><p>Adora grinned back, Glimmer’s awkward rush to get alone with Bow all too easy to read, even for her. “Maybe we could get going now and surprise them by being early. You know, as payback for all of her… interruptions.”</p><p>Catra made a face, memories of Glimmer teleporting directly into their room while the two of them were kissing still fresh. “Maybe. But then again, you should rest. It looks like this takes a lot out of you. Wouldn’t want the ‘Savior of the Galaxy’ to fall asleep in her protein slaw… again.”</p><p>Adora shuddered. “Ugh, don’t remind me. That stuff sticks to hair so well, we could make a fortune selling it as styling gel.”</p><p>“Hey, at least you only had to get it out of your hair. Remember that time when Darla’s artificial gravity shorted out? I had to spend hours in the shower, getting that goop out of my fur. Wasn’t exactly fun.”</p><p>Adora grinned. “You missed the best part of that, actually. While you were flipping out, trying to get away from the blob of floating slaw, Bow was trying his hardest to get to the maintenance panel to fix it, but he didn’t know how to move in zero g, so he kept banging his head on walls. I’ve never even heard half of those curses; he must’ve picked them up from Seahawk.”</p><p>“Wait, really? Sweet puppy dog Bow… <em> swearing?</em> I can’t believe I missed that!”</p><p>“Yeah, I thought Glimmer was going to have a stroke, she laughed so hard, but also looked mortified. It was beautiful.”</p><p>The two of them lay back, watching the stars twinkle. Even after months of living out of Despondos, and another six weeks travelling through the cosmos, the stars fascinated them. Adora liked to find constellations that looked like First One’s words, pointing them out to Catra. Thanks to their constant flight, the stars changed position much faster than they would to an observer stuck on Etheria, letting the sky look fresh and exciting every passing day.</p><p>After a few minutes of stargazing, Adora had regained enough energy to function properly, so the two of them walked back, hand in hand.</p><hr/><p>After a week, the planet showed the tell-tale signs of life that they’d all came to recognize: the soil changed from black to brown, the water became clearer, but most tellingly, small green shoots of grass and other plants dotted the landscape as far as the eye could see. Thanks to the magic, in a mere few years, entire forests would grow almost to maturity, animals of all kinds would live there—they still weren’t sure where they came from,—and the air would be clean and pure. With the planet healing, the Best Friend Squad launched, preparing to head to the next planet on the list Entrapta sent them, a list sure to “contain one of the most optimal routes to all inhabitable planets that Prime has destroyed.” </p><p>“All right, Bow, what's up next?” Adora stood at the helm, ready to give Darla the coordinates.</p><p>“Uh, Eternia. Sector 3, coordinates 34.598 and 11.426.”</p><p>“Got it, thanks. Darla, chart a course for… wait. <em> Eternia?!?</em>”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Dead Speak!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The BFS head to Etheria, curious to what secrets the planet holds. But then, disaster strikes as Darla is taken over by an unknown force.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Adora staggered back, the four syllables hitting her like a brick. "Wait, Eternia? Bow, are you sure?"</p><p>Bow cocked his head, perplexed by Adora's reaction. "Uh… yeah?!? E-T-E-R-N-I-A. What of it?"</p><p>Adora shook her head. "Remember when we met, and you guys took me prisoner?" Bow winced. "Well, when we first found the Beacon, we needed a password to get in, remember?"</p><p>Bow's eyes shot open, hazy memories surfacing from three years back. "And you read it off the door… Eternia. Do you think it's just a coincidence?"</p><p>Adora snorted. "Not a chance. There's no way the first ones made She-Ra's password the name of some random planet. It has to be important somehow! Darla, do you have any info on this planet?"</p><p>
  <em> "My data banks contain no information on Eternia." </em>
</p><p>Glimmer sighed. "Good, I really don't want to deal with more First One's secrets. The last time I messed with that stuff, well, the Heart of Etheria happened."</p><p>Everybody winced, their memories of that event painful. Catra piped up, "It's probably not another Heart. After all, if they had two, then they would have used it by now. And last I checked, the universe still exists."</p><p>"Well, whatever it is, it must be important. But then, if it's important, why doesn't Darla know anything about it?"</p><p>Bow thought for a moment, then suddenly sat up straight. "Wait, even the little planet we just met had something, right? Darla, can you pull up the records?"</p><p>
  <em> "Aimyr is one of the many food and lumber production facilities for the beings now known as the First Ones. As of the latest recordings, its main export is fruit." </em>
</p><p>Catra snorted. "I think Darla needs to get her memory banks scrubbed. Last I checked, it was a barren wasteland."</p><p>Bow shook his head. "Remember, Darla's a thousand years old. The last time she had any updates, Prime didn’t even exist yet. When she was with Mara, that planet would've been green and lush."</p><p>"Right, right. I keep forgetting that the giant piece of First One's tech we're on every day is actually ancient tech. Oh, wait. It's actually pretty freaking easy to tell."</p><p>Glimmer thought for a bit. "If every single planet except this one has something in Darla's banks… does that mean that Eternia's information was deleted?"</p><p>Adora placed a hand on the console. “Darla? Was your information about Eternia deleted?”</p><p>
  <em> “That information is classified, accessible only by super-administrator” </em>
</p><p>“Super administrator? So even She-Ra isn’t able to access the data?” Bow sighed. “Of course it’s classified. Why would any information be sitting out in the open?”</p><p>Adora thought back to the time when, with Razz’s help, she was able to talk to Mara. “Wait… I know of something that even She-Ra couldn’t access. In Mara’s time, even she couldn’t access the full Heart of Etheria project info. It seems that this is on the same level”</p><p>Catra’s ears flattened. “A planet as classified as a galaxy-destroying superweapon? This can’t be good.”</p><p>“Whatever it is, we should check it out. I know it very easily could be dangerous, but that’s all the more reason to check it out. If it’s dangerous enough to be classified, it might put the whole universe in danger! And, if we don’t do something about it, all this work might be for naught!”</p><p>Catra sighed. “I hate it when you’re right. You do know we’re probably going to all die horribly, right?”</p><p>Bow forced a smile. “I’m trying not to think about it.”</p><p>Glimmer smiled, draping an arm over Bow and Catra. “So, it’s settled then! We’re off to Eternia!”</p><p>----------</p><p>A week later, they were flying through space, a mere two hours from the planet, all of them on edge. Darla’s scanners didn’t pick up any anomalies, but with the data locked, that could be completely wrong. Entrapta says data never lies, but in this case, that wasn’t a given. It sucked not being able to trust your only mode of sensing.</p><p>As they all nervously waited to land, Adora pacing around the bridge, suddenly Darla’s lights changed to red, and the ship lurched sideways.</p><p>“Darla! What… what’s going on?”</p><p>
  <em> “Remote override activated. Administrator powers for Adora temporarily suspended.” </em>
</p><p>The BFS shared a look. A look of absolute fear. For a moment, all was still except the humming of Darla’s engines. Then, Catra broke the silence. “Uh… that’s not good, is it.”</p><p>Bow’s eyes were wide enough to use as plates. “NO! This is VERY bad! Remote override means that something, or someone, is down there. And they have enough First One’s tech to take control of a ship, superseding even She-Ra! This is bad… we should never have come here!”</p><p>Above the console, a dialog screen popped up, broadcasting a robotic voice to the terrified quartet: <em> “You do not have permission to land here. Upon landing, you are to submit yourself to capture and questioning. Do not resist.” </em></p><p>The holographic screen vanished, leaving everyone more terrified, if that was even possible. Beyond it, through the window, a planet as barren as all the others came into view, growing closer at an alarming rate. As they watched, frozen and speechless in terror, Darla plunged towards the ground, showing no sign of stopping.</p><p>Luckily, before she hit the ground, she decelerated and came to a stop. Unluckily, the stop came so abruptly, it was amazing that there were no broken bones between the four of them. There would probably be bruises though. Lots and lots of bruises.</p><p>On the floor, Bow laid a hand on his forehead. “Ugh, that was… NOT fun. Whoever is piloting this doesn’t seem to be very good at it.”</p><p>Darla began to move again, but this time, it was at a much more reasonable speed, and horizontally this time. They all got up and looked out the windows, but there was nothing to distinguish it from any of the other planets they’d recently saved.</p><p>Catra pointed to a small cliff ahead of them. “Hey, guys? Is it just me, or are we headed straight for that very deadly looking cliff face?”</p><p>They were, indeed, heading straight for the cliff, which looked very uninviting to crash into. </p><p>“I can get us out of here. Hold on, you guys! Let me teleport us!” Glimmer went to grab everyone, but Adora stopped her.</p><p>“We don’t even know if the atmosphere is breathable or not. And besides, without a ship, we’d be stuck here until we died of thirst!”</p><p>“It’s our only shot! We have no choice!”</p><p>Bow looked from the arguing two to the window. “Uh, guys? We’re about to hit it!”</p><p>The two of them looked up just in time to see Darla’s front touch the cliff… and pass through it. Shocked, with no time to react, they all held on to something—the console, the chair, Adora… whatever object was nearest. They braced themselves for something to happen, but after a few moments had passed, they looked up.</p><p>And saw a brilliant sight.</p><p>In front of them was a massive cavern, huge pillars like the ones in the Beacon supporting the roof and giving off a soft blue-white light. Illuminated by the light was a large village of houses, all made of stone bricks. Near the back of the cavern, a castle was carved right into the wall, making the cavern seem a bit bigger than it already was. Darla herself was floating in a pillar of light, slowly sinking towards an important-looking building off to the side of the town. As the ship grew nearer to the ground, they could make out indistinct forms surrounding the pillar, waiting for Darla to finish her descent.</p><p>Bow pulled out his bow, nocking one of his trusty net arrows. “Everyone, get ready. If we find the antenna controlling Darla we should be able to…”</p><p>He was interrupted by Adora. “No, we can’t fight. Look, they were able to take control over Darla easily, and just look at those pillars! We don’t know if we even stand any chance of survival at all; they might be just too advanced! If we go peacefully, I think we’ll have the best chance at escaping. And who knows, maybe they’ll let us go free!”</p><p>Glimmer cocked her head sideways, holding two fistfuls of sparkly magic. “But, we have She-Ra! We defeated Prime, something which, judging by the surface, they didn’t. We can win!”</p><p>Adora shook her head. “I know, I know, this sounds crazy. Just… trust me, ok? I think we’ll be ok, and I also have a feeling that keeping She-Ra a secret would be beneficial. That way, if we do need to fight our way out, we can surprise them.”</p><p>Everyone lowered their weapons, Catra with her claws, Glimmer’s sparkles, and Bow’s bow. After a bit, Bow spoke up. “Ok, if you’re sure. I just hope you know what you’re doing…”</p><p>A little bit later, the ship landed, the gangplank automatically opening. A strange voice came up through the hole. “Come out with your hands on your head. Don’t try any funny business; we’ll be ready for it.”</p><p>They all came out, Adora at the front of the pack. They were surrounded by figures with strange helmets, which covered their faces. They did look human, however (or at least, close enough), and wielded strange weapons. In the middle, directly in front of the gangplank, was somebody easily recognized as in charge, thanks to their armor’s extra decorative features. A deep masculine voice came from him: “Ok, walk slowly and submit your hands to be bound. Then, we’ll head inside, and you’ll tell us why you’re here a millennium after the Era of Expansion on a colonial ship!”</p><p>He paused after that, tilting his head as if thinking. Then, he pushed a button on his helmet, pulling the visor up and revealing a fatherly face with a decently sized mustache, brown eyes looking at Adora. “Wait… it can’t be. Are you from Etheria?”</p><p>Adora jumped at the question, confusion all over her. “I mean, I don’t think so? I know that I’m a First One, or at least I was, as a baby… it’s kind of a long…” her voice trailed off as she noticed all the troopers gasping in shock. </p><p>The leader narrowed his eyes, thinking hard. “A ‘First One’? I’ve never heard of them, unless… no, it can’t be. It was destroyed.”</p><p>Bow spoke up, his hands partway bound. “What? What do you mean? Do you know who they are?”</p><p>The man frowned, talking slowly. “My people were called the First Ones, once. But that was on a planet called Etheria… which was destroyed a thousand years ago.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Standing Trial</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Best Friend Squad awaits the judgement of the king, making sure to keep their involvement in Prime's defeat a secret.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The cells they were placed in were a shock to most of them. After all, the only prison they’d known (excepting the Horde prison, which none of them had seen for at least a year) was the spare room in Brightmoon. Not very imposing at all. This, on the other hand, was a row of bare rooms, all empty except the four cells containing the Best Friend Squad. Each cell was relatively big, at least compared to Shadow Weaver’s old cell, but they weren’t exactly luxury penthouses either. At the front of each cell was a steel grate, with bars nearly an inch thick.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra frowned. “Metal bars? I thought you guys were advanced!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guard guiding her into the cell looked confused. “What else would we use?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra opened her mouth, then thought better of it. After all, if these people didn’t know about force fields, no point in giving that away for free, right? “Oh, nothing. Just a silly thought.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guard shrugged, then walked away, the grate automatically coming down and electronically locking. After they were all securely locked in, the leader addressed them all. “The King and Queen of Eternia are currently occupied. You will be summoned to answer to them soon enough, so don’t get too comfortable. I wouldn’t expect you to have to wait more than an hour.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bow leaned forwards. “Uh, excuse me. What will happen to us? Do you know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man shook his head. “That depends on what their Majesties decide. For you sake, you’d better answer all their questions honestly… and you better have a good reason for all this. You almost certainly won’t be executed, but I don’t think you want life in prison. Good luck up there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that, he turned around and walked into the elevator, doors closing behind him, leaving the BFS to stew on all that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a bit, Catra broke the silence. “So, what’s the plan? Are we busting out of here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora thought about that, the idea of a quick escape tempting. “No, we can’t. First off, we don’t have any idea how to get Darla back. And second, this is important! We have to figure out what the deal is with this place, and how it relates to Etheria!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bow sighed. “Fine. But if we get sentenced to life in prison, you guys are totally busting us out, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Glimmer nodded. “Yeah, I can live with that. So, what should we say when we’re on trial? I think we should tell the truth—we don’t want to be caught in any lies. But if we’re keeping She-Ra a secret, well, we really can’t say we defeated Horde Prime ourselves, can we.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra sat up. “We could just say that we’re Etherian travelers who, after Prime’s defeat, decided to go explore the universe. It’s technically all true, just not all the truth.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora sighed. “You know I’m a bad actor. But… this could work. Everybody ready?” Everyone nodded yes. “Great. So, now what? We wait?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Glimmer shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bow fell back onto his cot. “I just hope this works. I’d like to leave a friend, not a sworn enemy of the people with all the First One’s tech.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora shook her head. “That won’t happen. This’ll work. It has to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a few long hours, the prisoners not having anything to do except talking, which got old pretty fast, the door opened. A little disoriented, but otherwise no worse for wear, they all stood up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“King Randor will see you now. When we enter, you are to kneel before him. Understood?” They all assented, although Catra seemed a bit annoyed by it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The BFS were lead into the elevator, wrists bound, with four guards of varying genders watching them closely, and their leader standing at the front. After a couple minutes—the elevator was pretty slow—they were marched down a hall to an ornate wooden door, gilded metal strengthening them. They were marched into the center of the room, which was a large hall, massive rows of pillars on either side of the long rug that lead to a dias, atop which lay two large stone thrones. On the left throne sat a large, muscle-bound man, arrayed in a blue robe, a simple crown upon his head. To the right sat a slender woman in a green dress, wearing a crown only slightly less imposing than the king’s. To the queen’s side stood a young blonde man, perhaps twenty years of age, wearing an unbuttoned pink vest over a white undershirt. The captain of the guards walked to the dias and knelt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The prisoners, sire.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Duncan. Bring them forwards!” At the king’s command, they were brought forwards, and all of them knelt down. “Now tell me: who are you, where did you come from, and why are you here?”</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>After the questioning, the BFS having been able to keep all the important information secret, the king bade them leave, but let them rest in the antechamber, hands unbound, while he and his trusted advisors talked. The guards gave them privacy, retreating to the far end of the room to give them time to talk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe that they thought Etheria was destroyed. That’s just, really weird to think about, you know? I wonder if anything we think is true is just… not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, Bow, what would you think?” Glimmer smirked, “After all, we know that the First Ones left Etheria because the Heart was too unstable, right? And then, as they’re commanding Mara to fire it, it all just... disappears, right off the map. I, for one, would totally think it was vaporized.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra yawned, rolling her wrists to get all the feeling back. “I just hope they believe us. I’d hate to ruin these nice people’s day by escaping and making them all look bad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Relax, Catra! It’ll be alright. I got a good feeling about all this.” Adora thought back to the questioning. “I’m not sure what the king or queen thought of us, but that prince seems like he believed us. Hopefully he can tip the scales and help us go free.” She paused. “You know, I got a kind of strange vibe from him. Just not sure what it is, after all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Glimmer shrugged. “He seemed normal to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora shrugged back. “Well, whatever. I’m just glad they didn’t ask any questions about Prime’s defeat. Those would’ve been awkward.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bow nodded. “Yeah. They seemed pretty shocked when we confirmed that he was gone. I wonder how long they’ve been under Prime’s rule?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess we’ll have to ask once they let us go. Hopefully we can move around freely, I don’t want guards following me 24/7, like… well, like the clones did with me while I was with… him” Catra tensed up, only relaxing when Adora laid a hand on her shoulder. Anything that reminded her of her time aboard Prime’s ship brought up bad memories. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Very</span>
  </em>
  <span> bad memories.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The conversation lapsed into silence, and they sat waiting for a heavy few minutes. Then, a knock came through the door, signalling the guards to lead them back in, leaving their hands unbounded. They all knelt, awaiting the verdict.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I have listened to you, and I have decided to let you roam Eternia free. However, until we have confirmation of Prime's defeat, we cannot allow you to leave the planet."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks to the help of some commentators on Chapter one, I have been watching the 2002 He-Man version. I will be blending the two together. They aren't terribly dissimilar, but whatever elements make the most sense</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Darkness Rises</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The BFS are set free, but they decide to stay in Eternia and help rebuild. One day, while doing routine work, a strange plume of smoke graces the horizon...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Adora and Catra walked together, hauling heavy crates to the elevator upwards. "Wow, I'm really glad we didn't stop working out after Prime’s defeat. Otherwise, you just might have to transform to get these boxes to the elevator."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora looked over at Catra and smirked. "And here I was, thinking you made Entrapta install the weight room in Darla because you think I look hotter with muscles."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra blushed, turning away. "Sh-shuddup!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora looked forwards, a dopey smile plastered on her face. "Don't deny it. I've seen you, watching me instead of working out. I may be dumb, but I'm not that oblivious!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra snorted, setting her box down at the stack near the elevator. "Really? That's a shock. And besides, shouldn't you be a little more focused, miss 'transformed into She-Ra because a dumbbell was too heavy'?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora sputtered. "H-hey! I'll have you know that you distracted me, and it was an instinctual reaction to, I don't know, letting a hundred-fifty pound weight fall on my chest. It's not my fault you looked so hot in that outfit!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two of them playfully fought all the way back to the other pile of crates, which were loaded with people's personal belongings. Their arrival and announcement of Prime's death had caused quite the stir, eventually allowing the rebuilding of the surface to begin. Some of the first houses were already completed, and the first lucky families were able to move in, starting to turn the ground back into farmable land.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, why don't you just heal the planet? I think they'd be more forthcoming with their secrets if we did that. Isn't that why we're here?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, actually, yesterday I tried to do just that. The pole was actually only a few miles away from the elevator cave, but when I went towards it, something weird happened."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Really? What? Did She-Ra not come? Because I can kiss you again, if it'll help."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora grinned. "Much appreciated, but maybe later. No, I didn't even get the chance to transform. There was this strange sense of warding, and then I hit some sort of barrier. It just turned me around somehow, so I was walking back to the village. I walked a good hundred feet before I noticed, and when I tried again, the same thing happened. So, I shrugged and came back."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra was taken aback. "That… that </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> really weird! Did you ask anyone? Maybe the king, or that Man-At-Arms fellow? They seem pretty knowledgeable."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No. If I asked, I'd have to explain why I was wandering off, and you know how bad at lying I am! It'd be far too suspicious, and I can't put us all in danger for that."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra picked up one of the crates. "Yeah, you are horrible at lying. Or acting. Or…"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora punched Catra in the arm playfully, making her drop the crate and tackle Adora to the ground. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, you two! We're supposed to be working here!" The comment came from the young prince, who was helping them carry the stuff. "I can't do all the work on my own!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two grinned and stood up, grabbing some of the crates. "Ok, ok. Geez Adam, don't we deserve a break?" Catra stuck her tongue out at the boy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"A break? It's only been fifteen minutes! We're on schedule for another hour and a half!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora smiled. "Relax Adam, she's just messing with you. We'll get some work in, don't you worry."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The prince sighed, Catra having tested his patience since the day they met. Then, a wry smile on his face, he said, "You know, I don't know why I stood up for you guys. If I had known this is what I would have to deal with, I might've just let the council decide your fate."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra smiled a wide grin. "And yet, here we are, perfectly poised to make your life hell".</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The prince rolled his eyes. "At least you told us about Prime. If I had been cooped up in this stuffy cave for any longer… I might've cracked."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The three of them made short work of the boxes. With the sheer muscle mass of Adam and Adora, and Catra’s wiry strength, the boxes practically walked themselves over. With 25 minutes before they had to do the next task, which was hauling lumber from the old forest to the expanding village, the two girls bade goodbye to Adam and slipped away to their room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So, Catra, you said something about a kiss earlier?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The feline grinned. "I had a feeling you'd bring that up."</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Later, Adora's poof a little less pristine, they made their way to the elevator, waiting for it to bring them up to the surface. They hiked to the forest, where a rudimentary water-wheeled mill was churning out planks. As they hauled them to the builders over at the burgeoning village, Catra was the first to notice a distant plume of smoke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uh, guys? That doesn't look like a cloud. Any idea what's going on over there?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam looked over thoughtfully. "Must be the volcano near Snake mountain. I wonder if it's still standing after Prime's conquest… let me ask Man-At-Arms if we can check it out. That is, if you want to come."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra raised an eyebrow. *Why bring us? It's just a simple scouting mission, right? And why us? There's a whole bunch of guards right inside, right?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We have less than twenty guards, who are all , and I'm bringing you because if it's all still standing, I think you'd better see this. It was pretty imposing before Prime destroyed the surface. Besides, we'll be bringing the two best fighters I've ever known: Man-At-Arms and his daughter, Teela."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora crossed her arms. "Best fighters you've ever met, eh? Maybe someday I'll come to one of those sparring sessions you go to, and see if they're really that good."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They really are. They might even be able to rival He-Man, at least if they worked together."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra cocked her head. "Who's this He-Man fellow? That's a funny name."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam looked surprised. "Oh right, I guess you wouldn't know about him. He's the most powerful man in the universe, and if it wasn't for him holding Prime off, well… we wouldn't have been able to hide. But enough of that, I should get going. Man-At-Arms will want to hear about this!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they watched him jog off, Catra smirked. "Hero or not, that name is still really dumb. I guess He-Man must be the buff dude in all the murals around the palace, you know, the one with barely any clothes."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora smiled, remembering the weird murals. "You'd think some armor would at least help keep him safer, if only a little. After all, if he's strong enough to, oh, what was it… carry a </span>
  <em>
    <span>mountain</span>
  </em>
  <span> around, he should be able to wear something a bit safer."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora broke out of her armor-induced reverie, looking over at Catra, who was grinning. "You're such a dork."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora grinned back. "I'm your dork. Now, help me carry these boards. We may as well finish the job"</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Later, the five of them—Adam, Adora, Catra, Man-At-Arms, and Teela—all sped towards the plume of smoke and ash. Glimmer and Bow had decided to stay at home, saying something about 'alone time' and 'privacy'. After a good half hour of flying, the hovercraft proving a smooth flight, a mountain appeared on the horizon, spewing a dark cloud from its peak. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's strange. Prime didn't leave any huge mountains on the other planets we've visited. All that was left was these pimply-looking hunks of rock and a whole lot of rubble." Adora looked at the mountain. "And mountains don't just appear out of nowhere, right?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You are correct, Adora. However, there was a great deal of evil magic here before He came. Perhaps a lingering spell helped channel the lava into this shape? In an ocean, a place with hot magma can erupt, creating an island out of nothing in an instant. But this is most certainly inland… strange indeed."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra's ears raised. "Evil magic? What do you mean?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tesla sighed. "Long ago, an evil being named Skeletor tried to rule Eternia, stopped only by He-Man, who was aided by my father and his most powerful allies. We were slowly gaining ground, pushing him back, but long before we could finish the fight… Prime’s spires started dropping. But we know that he couldn't survive, after all, the only reason that we survived was…" she was cut off with a strong glance from her father. "Well, something he couldn't use. He's dead, and has been for a decade. Good riddance!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two Etherians raised their eyebrows at the strange omission, but couldn't get anything out of them before they arrived.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Man-At-Arms gestured to a small ridge. "This is where Skeletor's domain used to lay. He ruled over it all from Snake mountain, which was completely destroyed when Prime came."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uh, father? Are you seeing this too?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Confused, Man-At-Arms looked in the direction Teela was pointing. Before their very eyes, a massive lava spout shot up, only a mile or two away, and rapidly cooled into the shape of a mountain, a large snake carved into it. Eyes wide, he stumbled back. "Wh-what? It can't be!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Snake mountain disagreed, the gaping maw still glowing from the heat of its birth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Adam, I'm going to need you to stay back here with the skiff." Man-At-Arms and Adam shared a strange look, confusing the three girls. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ok, understood."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The rest of you, stay close. We're going to see exactly what's happening here."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The four of them snuck down the ridge, going closer to the newly made castle. As they grew closer, Man-At-Arms gasped, pushing them all behind a rock. Catra, looking forwards, was able to make out a figure in a purple robe, a staff held high, walking towards the castle. "Who is that?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Man-At-Arms closed his eyes. "That… was Skeletor. It seems he wasn't killed when Prime came. Curse our luck! We were sure he'd been destroyed. Should've known he'd find a way."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So, what do we do, father? Will He-Man return?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A new voice came from behind them, making them all jump. "I'd say he will."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The four of them turned to see a living legend: He-Man.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>As usual, any writing tips or constructive criticism are welcome. If anyone wants to give me a suggestion, I was wondering if I should add some homophobia into the story, with the Eternians not understanding LGBT people and relationships. However, if this is a bad idea, please tell me asap. If you're reading this, thank you for taking the time to read through my first fanfiction! It means a lot to me.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. There's Always Another Secret</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Adora tries to figure out how it's possible for He-Man to have the same sword as her original one (minus the runestone, of course).</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Are you sure it was the same? No doubt about it at all?" Bow was pacing their quarters, holding his head in his hands. "It could be nothing… it could be nothing."</p><p>"Bow. I know what I saw. I held that sword's exact duplicate every day for three years. Well, I guess it wasn't an exact duplicate—the runestone wasn't on the hilt—but I know what I saw. It even had the same lines of First One's tech on the blade!"</p><p>Glimmer furrowed her brows at that. "Well, if there's no runestone, it must not work, right? Without that, it's just a fancy-looking sword!"</p><p>Adora frowned. "Well, that might be true. But then again, I didn't know how to access the runestone until I had to heal Shadow Weaver, so who knows!!! Argh, this is stressing me out."</p><p>Catra shrugged. "I mean, you did say that all those muscles wouldn't be possible by normal human standards. He-Man didn't look like he was faking those."</p><p>Adora flopped down onto the bed she and Catra shared, her girlfriend sitting a few inches away. "This is stressing me out. I don't want it to be true, but I know what I saw."</p><p>Bow piped up, "Maybe you could just ask him! You don't have to reveal anything, just ask him to show you his sword."</p><p>Adora sat up. "Maybe… only problem is, he just up and vanished after we got out of there, and we haven't seen him since then. Man-At-Arms seems to know something about He-Man, but do you really think he'll tell me, a person he just met a couple weeks ago, all about the most well-kept secret on the planet?"</p><p>Catra yawned. "It's worth a shot. Worse comes to worst, he'll think you're just listing after the big brute."</p><p>Adora sputtered. "You know it's not like that!"</p><p>Catra grinned. "Relax. Of course I know. But everyone outside of this room… they totally think you want to bang him. Ooh, remember that one guy's face when you told him you didn't like boys? It looked like you short-circuited him! He couldn't even fathom how that was possible!"</p><p>Adora smiled. "Yeah, it was pretty funny. Anyways, I'm going to try to talk to Man-At-Arms about getting a chat with He-Man. Hopefully, it'll work."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Adora walked up to Darla, the ancient door opening for her. Looking around to make sure nobody else was in there, she went into her room, and pushed hard on a specific panel beside her bed. The section of wall next to it popped open, revealing a simple cloth backpack, which Adora picked up, slinging it over her shoulder with a clink. She closed the door, making sure it blended in fully, and headed out.</p><p>Later, she went to Man-At-Arm’s laboratory, where the palace guard said he would be. “Man-At-Arms? Are you there?”</p><p>Behind a workbench, which had a large machine on it, a voice came. “Yes. Adora, is it? Come over here.” She obliged, stepping around some unfinished project of his. “Do you have a question?”</p><p>“Well, not exactly. You see, I know you’re closer to He-Man than anyone else, and I need to talk to him. I have… something important to discuss with him.”</p><p>“Oh? What is it? I may be able to relay a message.”</p><p>Adora frowned. “I don’t know if I should tell you. It, well, it has to do with his powers. I really don’t think I can say any more.”</p><p>Man-At-Arms shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do this. If I did this for everyone, He-Man would be swarmed with fangirls. I’m sorry, but if you don’t tell me anything else, I can’t do anything.”</p><p>Adora closed her eyes and sighed, taking her backpack off and setting it on the table with a metallic clattering. “This is serious, not a joking matter. I will show you but... this has to remain between us and He-Man alone, all right?”</p><p>“Yes, I understand.”</p><p>Adora opened the backpack and reached in, her hand finding the thing she needed right away. “Just… don’t freak out.” She pulled out a sword, or at least, the hilt of one, the blade shattered. She had brought the shattered sword along with her as a kind of memento of how far she had grown since she first heard Lighthope’s call. The hilt was exactly identical to He-Man’s, with the notable exception of a cracked gemstone at the center of the ornate golden swirls. Man-At-Arms’ eyes widened, taking in the shattered blade.</p><p>“What… what is this? Where did you find this?”</p><p>“On Etheria, there is a being known as She-Ra. She protects us, just as He-Man protects you. She is the one who defeated Prime. This is the sword that she wielded, before it shattered.”</p><p>“Why do you have it?” His voice was barely above a whisper, his eyes filled with terror and wonder.</p><p>“Let’s just say she gave it to me. Trust me, the power’s all gone. There’s no magic in it anymore.”</p><p>“Uh, stay right here. Let me go and get He-Man. I think he’ll want to see this.”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The three of them stood around the table, He-Man’s sword laying besides the broken one. “Impossible... “</p><p>“Apparently not.” Man-At-Arms scratched his chin. “They look the exact same, except for that gem in the hilt. Adora, do you know what that’s all about?”</p><p>“She-Ra said that it was how she channeled her magic. She could tap into it and use it’s magic to heal.”</p><p>He-Man cocked his head. “Healing? That’s impossible. I can’t do that.”</p><p>Adora shrugged. “Say what you will, I’ve seen her use it. Bow was once nearly killed, but She-Ra saved him from death. I guess you just don’t have the stone to channel the magic through.”</p><p>Man-At-Arms and He-Man exchanged a look. “Should we bring it to her?”</p><p>“Perhaps. The sorceress might know something of this sword”</p><p>Adora crossed her arms. “And who is this sorceress you speak of?”</p><p>He-Man looked her over, a thoughtful look on his face. “Man-At-Arms, I think we can tell her. I trust her.”</p><p>Man-At-Arms nodded. “The sorceress is a powerful being who granted He-Man all his power. Perhaps she could know more about this sword. Adora? Would you mind packing up those shards? It’s time you entered Castle Grayskull.”</p><p>Adora froze. “What did you just say?”</p><p>“I said Castle Grayskull. Come, we should hurry. It’s a bit of a hike.”</p><p>Adora forced herself to keep packing, the two syllables of <em> Grayskull </em> echoing in her ears. First Eternia, now this? This planet was more connected to She-Ra than she thought.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>After about 45 minutes of hiking through caves, the three of them stood in a large cavern,  looking at a strange castle. “When Prime came, we all had nowhere to go. The sorceress saved us all by sinking our palace and our city, barely able to hide herself before Prime spotted and destroyed us. Now, it lies here, deep underground.” Man-At-Arms shook his head. “Hopefully, she’ll tell us everything we need to know about the sword.”</p><p>He-Man cupped his hands around his mouth. “Sorceress! It is I, He-Man, and Man-At-Arms! We request your knowledge and assistance!”</p><p>The large drawbridge shook and then lowered, the chains creaking. In the doorway stood a woman, a green and gold headdress crowning her head. “Yes, Adam? What is it that you want? And who is this girl?”</p><p>Adora coughed. “Well, actually, I’m twenty two, so I'm really not a... sorry. Anyways, yeah. Here we go.” She slid her pack off her shoulders, pulling out the sword hilt. At the sight of it, the sorceress’ eyes grew wide with amazement.</p><p>“All of you, come in, quickly!”</p><p>They all came across the drawbridge, walking into a dimly lit hallway, large stone pillars on either side of them. The sorceress turned to Adora. “Now, let us begin. Who are you? And how did you come across this sword?”</p><p>“My name is Adora and, well, She-Ra gave it to me after it broke.” The sorceress was taken aback at the mention of the name. “She-Ra said that…” the sorceress interrupted her. </p><p>“I don’t have time for these lies and half-truths. Who. Are. You?”</p><p>Adora sighed, closing her eyes. “I am Adora, She-Ra of Etheria. The sword chose me four years ago, and I have served Etheria ever since”</p><p>The other two gasped, falling backwards. The sorceress seemed externally unfazed. “And why, pray tell, is the sword broken?”</p><p>“I broke the sword instead of letting the most powerful weapon in existence activate. The Heart of Etheria. If it had activated, the universe would be gone.”</p><p>The sorceress raised an eyebrow. “So now you’re just a normal human, is that right? Why should we care about this, except as a matter of historical significance?”</p><p>Adora gritted her teeth. “Because the First One’s used the sword to control me. If I didn’t break it, I couldn’t have stopped it. And now I learn that the most powerful man in the universe has a sword just like it? Of course you should care!”</p><p>The sorceress raised an eyebrow at this, and then walked away. “I’m retiring to my chambers. I shall ponder this matter. Adora, I must ask you to leave this place.</p><p>She sputtered. “Leave? Why?”</p><p>The sorceress turned away. “You are not She-Ra anymore. Your insights have been eye-opening, but that is all. You may leave.”</p><p>Adora flung the broken hilt to the ground, the strange metal not leaving a single scratch on the floor despite the loud screech it caused. It spun around, coming to rest by one of the pillars. “Oh, you want She-Ra? Well, here she is.” The sorceress looked back, expecting nothing. That all changed when Adora stretched forth her hand and brought forth a sword of white and gold, it snapping into existence out of thin air. “For the honor… of Grayskull!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Wow, looking back on this chapter... the sorceress really needs to take a vacation and relax.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Confrontation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Adora, now She-Ra, faces down the sorceress, searching for answers. It turns out that she is the one who truly needs to give the answers, though.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The sorceress gasped, shielding her eyes from the transformation’s light. On the floor lay Man-At-Arms, his hand over her eyes, and He-Man, who stared at Adora, mouth hanging open. Adora snapped her arm downwards, holding the sword at her side. “Now, will you listen to me? Or is this not enough for you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sorceress seemed to barely register her words. “So… She-Ra exists… and without the sword. It… it said it wasn’t possible.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora glowered, her patience already strung thin. “What are you talking about? Because it was wrong.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sorceress started, seeming to come out of a reverie. “I apologise for my curtness. When you appeared, when you pulled out that broken blade…” She glanced to the dull hilt resting at the side of the room. “It’s just that, well, I’ve only sensed She-Ra once. And then my connection to her abruptly dropped soon after. I thought that she—you—had died. And when you showed me the broken sword, well, I had no idea that it could break. Forgive me. I was… well, scared. Scared for He-Man.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He-Man sat up. “This… how is this possible? How did you do this?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora looked away from the sorceress, eyes coming to rest on the muscled warrior. “I broke the sword when I was being forced to fire a weapon that would destroy the universe. Then, I was finally able to tap into my full power as She-Ra. And now I’m here, looking for answers and finding none.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Man-At-Arms hesitantly spoke. “If I may be so bold to speak…” He trailed off, waiting for an answer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You can always speak. I won’t do anything to you for simply talking.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I must come to Teela-Na’s defense here. She was not the sorceress a thousand years ago, and couldn’t have been involved in the creation of the swords.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora raised an eyebrow. “Fine. But if she has any answers, now would be a great time to bring them up. I’d like to know what’s going on. What was that ‘it’ that you spoke so much about?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sorceress took a deep breath. “I was speaking of the spirit of Castle Grayskull. It is known as ‘Lighthope’. It has been around for many thousands of years.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora’s eyes widened in shock. “Lighthope? She… she’s here?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sorceress cocked her head. “You already know of the Spirit?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora nodded. “On Etheria, she taught me how to fight. When I broke the sword, well… she died.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But… it’s just a program. It doesn’t actually have sentience.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’d be surprised. If that was true, that sword would still be in one piece, and the universe would be blotted out like a child blowing out a candle. Lighthope is more human than you could ever know.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sorceress blinked. “Oh… ok then. I’ll take your word for it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora sighed. “So, how much do you know about She-Ra? I wasn’t able to learn much on Ehteria.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not much. My predecessors believed that Etheria, and She-Ra along with it, were destroyed a thousand years ago.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did they tell you why Etheria was destroyed?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They said it was a magical catastrophe. Let me guess: that was wrong?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, it actually isn’t too far off. The First Ones channeled the natural magic of Etheria into its core, then tried to force Mara to use it. She was able to resist, and locked Etheria away in an empty dimension. Then, a thousand years later, I found the sword, and eventually Lighthope, who was reprogrammed to set off the weapon. She pulled us back into the universe, but before she fired the weapon, I shattered my sword. Later, I reconnected to She-Ra, destroyed Prime, and now I’m here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He-Man spoke up. “Why </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> you here? I remember you being shocked to see me, so it can’t be to talk to me…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora shrugged, sitting down with her legs crossed. “After Prime fell and Etheria was rebuilt, I decided to travel around the galaxy, bringing magic back. I hadn’t done much, but I believe that we had gone through eight before coming here. When we came here, well, we heard the name “Eternia” and couldn’t stay away. Oh, and we recognized the name from an ancient First Ones ruin.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You… you’re bringing magic back? But how? I’ve been trying to bring this planet back ever since I learned of Prime’s fall. And as you may have seen, well, it’s not working. I don’t have enough magic to bring back a whole planet!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora furrowed her brow. “I don’t know. I barely understand anything I do; the only formal training I received was when I was bound by the old sword—no offense, He-Man.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“None… none taken. Although, speaking of which… this sword binds me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora paused, and shrugged. “I don’t know. But I would not recommend breaking it; and even if you could, I don’t think it would work. After all, I’ve used my sword for a lot of things, like slicing through solid steel, and it never once cracked.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Man-At-Arms looked over at the hilt. “But, you did break it. How?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, perhaps it was the massive, universe-destroying amount of magic trapped inside it. When I broke it, I was just about to be forced to fire it. Maybe the magic made it vulnerable? If that’s the case, I don’t exactly know of any way to do it again. And again, I don’t even know if He-Man exists beyond the sword. Maybe the First Ones tried to recreate She-Ra, and created you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sorceress looked worried. “Look: I don’t know everything that happened. I didn’t even know that the sword was created, or that there was another. All I know of She-Ra are brief mentions in the texts I found, and those aren’t much at all. Let’s not destroy the sole reason evil hasn’t overcome our planet yet. Ok?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s probably a good idea.” Adora stretched, then paused. “Wait. If your sword is like mine, and when I had it it allowed me to transform into She-Ra… doesn’t that mean that you aren’t always He-Man?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The flinching that followed that statement was as good as confirmation. “So, if I may… who are you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sorceress spoke. “If you, She-Ra, can keep this secret safe… then I think we should tell her.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Man-At-Arms nodded. “Yes, I think so too. She-Ra? Can you keep this a secret, from even your friends?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora thought. “Can I at least tell Catra? I don’t want to keep secrets from her, and I know she can be trusted.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sorceress cocked her head. “Why is she different? And what makes you so sure?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora sighed. “Now, this is probably going to sound weird because you guys on Eternia apparently don’t have this concept, but she’s my girlfriend. And I know that she can be trusted.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Eternians were puzzled, with He-Man speaking first. “Wait… aren’t you a girl too?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora rested her face in her hands. “Yes. Yes I am—and before you ask it, she is too. Just… don’t think about it too much. Apparently, for whatever reason, you guys only have mixed-gender couples? Anyways, yes. She can be trusted. I would like to tell Bow and Glimmer too, but if it’d be to risky… fine.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Man-At-Arms shrugged. “Well, sure, whatever you say. But I think that telling the other two is a bit risky. I’ve seen them around, and… they aren’t the most secure bunch.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, I suppose that’s fair. Ok, I can agree to this.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sorceress gestured at He-Man. “If you would so kindly change back…?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He-Man pulled out his sword from its sheath on his back, studying the blue blade for a few seconds. “Let the power… return.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He glowed, Adora’s strengthened eyes letting her make out the warrior’s bulk shrinking, clothing appearing from nowhere. Then her eyes widened in shock. “Prince… Prince Adam?” She started backwards, her transformation dropping as she lost concentration, the slim blade flickering out of her hand, leaving only a rainbow afterimage. Across the hallway, the king’s son nodded, setting his sword gently on the ground next to him. “Yes. I, Prince Adam, am He-Man, defender of Eternia.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm not sure why, but this one was tough to write. Maybe it has something to do with it being mostly dialogue? Not sure. Anyways, huge thanks to both the normal cover (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gNNJ-oKrgI) and Catra's voice actor, AJ Michalka's cover (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9oX8lPNP0M) of the She-Ra theme song. I'd recommend giving both of them a listen if you have the time.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Restitution and Resistance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Adora tries to heal the planet, but something resists her. So, they go ahead and bring the fight to Skeletor, the evil overlord who He-Man never could defeat.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Adora put a hand over her mouth. “You… it’s you? I must say, I did not expect that. Uh… no offense.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam grinned. “Good. That means that I’m doing a good job keeping it a secret.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora looked over at the others. “So… who else knows? The king?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Man-At-Arms shook his head. “No. In fact, the only living people that know are here in this room. There used to be another, a magician by the name of Orko… but he was one of the people who stood against Prime while the sorceress hid the citizens. He… he wasn’t able to make it out. We lost many brave warriors when the spires dropped.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The room grew quiet, a somber mood falling over them all. “Ah… I see. My apologies for bringing it up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sorceress stood up from the floor. “At least his sacrifice wasn’t in vain. If it wasn’t for his magic, many villagers would never have gotten to the cavern. But enough of this sad talk. Adora, you said you were restoring magic? What do you mean by that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know how I do it exactly, but I can help a planet restore magic to itself. And when that happens, the planet slowly heals itself. When I held the Heart of Etheria, I was able to instantly turn the planet into a magical paradise. Now that it’s gone though, I just let the planet… well, something happens, and it slowly builds up. I just help start it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam put his hand on his chin. “So, could you do that with Eternia?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora shrugged. “I tried to do it once, but a strange force pulled me away from the place where I needed to do it. There seems to be a place where the magic can most easily reach the planet, but I haven’t been able to go to it for some…” She tilted her head. “It’s here. I don’t know why, but I sense it here. Somewhere in this castle is the place. I don’t know why I couldn’t sense it earlier, but… it’s close.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sorceress’ eyes widened. “The Elders’ power… that must be it!” Upon seeing Adora’s blank face, she added, “A few decades ago, there was a council of Elders that wielded Eternia’s magic to keep peace and right in the world. Then, about twenty-four years ago—a few years before Adam’s birth—Skeletor and his minions attacked the palace, in a ferocious battle that ended with King Randor driving them all back to the place known as Snake mountain. After that battle, the Elders vanished, leaving all their power in my trust here at Grayskull. And that very power is what gives He-Man his strength.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora found herself slowly nodding. “Ah, so the reason I only now was able to feel it is because…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam finished her sentence. “Because I detransformed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Man-At-Arms stood up. “I think we should allow She-Ra here to heal Eternia. It would, at the very least, make growing enough food much easier.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora nodded. “I’m game. Oh and please, call me Adora.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All right. Well? Sorceress?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sorceress closed her eyes. “We should try. Just know this: I have tried to heal this planet ever since I got word of Prime’s fall. And you know how well it worked.”</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>The four of them stood at the orb of the Elders, standing on a platform of gleaming crystal. Adora, who had transformed into She-Ra, reached out and touched the shining sphere, which burst into blinding light. Adora furrowed her brow, concentrating on the magic coursing through her body, funneling it into her sword. Then, she touched the slender blade to the ground, causing the many crystal spires in the room to glow with a blinding light, lines of First Ones code faintly appearing on their surface. To the side, in the scrying window the sorceress had caused to appear, the three Eternians watched in amazement as the ground above the cavern started to faintly glow, shoots of grass rising up, and the nearby forest strengthening… and then it all collapsed, Adora stumbling backwards, dropping She-Ra and clutching at her left hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam rushed over, holding her up. “What happened? Are you OK?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora nodded, leaning on Adam to stay steady. “Yes… I think so. It was all going normally, but then… it all rushed back into the orb. Even She-Ra had a hard time holding all that magic at once. Something, well, something repelled me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sorceress raised her hands, changing the view to Snake mountain. They all saw the mountain faintly shining with a sickly-looking yellow light, which slowly faded. “It’s Skeletor. He’s the one who has enough strength to stand up to the Elders’ power… and stand up he did. As long as he stands, Eternia will remain a wasteland.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam pulled out his sword, the light of the orb reflecting in the translucent blade. “Let’s go pay him a visit. It’s time we took Eternia back. Adora, are you ok? Your power would be a great help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora nodded, flexing her injured fingers. “I’m good to go. This hand should be fine in a bit; it just needs some time. Now, I’m going to go get my friends. When should we regroup?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Man-At-Arms scratched his chin. “I should be ready for an assault in an hour. Let’s meet then at the surface, alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds good. Adam? Are you ready?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam cracked his knuckles. “Yes. It’s time to lock that skullface away.”</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora opened the door to her apartment, setting the shattered hilt on a nearby coffee table. “Catra? You here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She heard Glimmer’s voice from the kitchen. “She left a bit ago. Something about getting some fresh air.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora walked into the kitchen, the aroma of bread filling her nostrils. “Ooh, bread? You haven’t made this in a while.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, Darla wasn’t exactly the most bread-friendly place. Now that we have an actual oven, I wanted to do some baking, and well… here we are!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, where’s Bow?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, he’s over in our room, tinkering around with his arrows. Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have an important mission to do. We’re going to Snake mountain to fight Skeletor.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh? Who else is coming?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, He-Man, obviously. Also, Man-At-Arms, and probably that Teela girl. And, of course, the four of us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait. Why are they bringing us on this mission? Aren’t we supposed to be normal citizens of Etheria, out on a nice vacation?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora paused. “Well, about that…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Later, Catra walked in. “Hey Adora? Are you here? That angry Man-At-Arms guy said you came home a bit ago.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora peeked her head out of her room. “Oh hey, Catra! What’s up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, he just told me you needed to chat with me. What’s going on? He looked in a hurry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, come in here. Don’t get too comfy though, we gotta leave in a bit. Give me a bit, and I’ll explain it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra obligingly walked in, shutting the door behind her. “So, what’s up? We’re leaving soon?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. We’re going to take down an evil overlord and bring magic back. You game?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra grinned. “You bet. Now, this can’t be all you wanted to tell me, is it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora sighed. “You know me too well. Yeah, I wanted to tell you… today I found out who He-Man is. You know, when he detransforms.” Catra’s ears perked up. “It’s Adam. The prince. I’m not gonna tell the others about it, but I just didn’t want to have any secrets between us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra leaned back. “Huh. So that prince isn’t just a wimp. Good to know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora sighed, a smile on her face. “Now Catra, be nice. After all, you should know all about pretending to be bad, what with you ‘choosing’ to come in second whenever we spar. Isn’t that right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra snorted. “Ah, shut up. Anyways, who else knows about the prince’s deep, dark, secret?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just Man-At-Arms and this woman I just met, who’s apparently called the sorceress. You know how I go all ‘For the Honor of Grayskull’? Well apparently Grayskull is a place too; it’s this weird castle that holds some powerful magic.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra sighed. “You have all the fun adventures, don’t you. Anyways, shall we get ready?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora smiled a wry smile. “Well, we don’t have to be ready for another fifteen minutes…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra grinned. “And what do you suggest we do with all this time?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora brushed Catra’s face with her hand. “I just might have an idea…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra blushed, pushing Adora’s hand away. “Oh, stop it with the teasing and…” her voice trailed off as she noticed Adora wince, cradling her hand. “Oh my gosh… did I hurt you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora was quick to reassure her. “No! No, it’s not your fault. Some magic backfired, but I’m fine! I can still fight!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh no, we are not doing this. Now here’s the deal: either you heal it, or we’re not going. No way am I letting you fight with a busted hand.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Catra, you know that healing is hard. I can’t drain myself that much before a big fight!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes you can, and you will. And that is final. Now, you’re going to transform and fix it, or else!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora sighed. “Fine. I’ll do it for you. But you owe me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Owe you for what? Saving you? Not on your life.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora rolled her eyes but transformed, her concentration allowing her to transform without saying a word. She then focused on her hand, glowing with a beautiful golden light. Before Catra’s eyes, the hand seemed to </span>
  <em>
    <span>change</span>
  </em>
  <span>, despite looking the same externally. Adora then released She-Ra, falling back onto the soft mattress. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hope you’re happy now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course I’m happy, you big idiot. You really gotta stop all this self-sacrificing stuff, it’s really not good for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, I know. I’m working on it.” There was a pause. “Hey… thanks. Now that I did it, I’m glad you made me heal it. It feels a lot better.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra smiled, even though Adora couldn’t see it. “Told you so, dummy. Now, hadn’t we better get going? We don’t want to be late to the party.”</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Man-At-Arms, Teela, He-Man, and the Best Friend Squad were flying towards the ominous mountain in the distance. Teela looked over the Etherians. "So, uh… why are you all here? I can see that you use a bow, and I've seen you over there use your claws, but… what about you two?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Glimmer looked at Adora, who nodded. She snapped her fingers, causing her earring to faintly shine as a sphere of sparkles appeared around her hand. "Trust me, we can hold our own."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Teela started backwards, eyes wide. "Magic? That… I guess that would explain it. But you, blondie? What do you bring?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At this, He-Man turned around. "Trust me, she'll be fine."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Teela scoffed, crossing her arms. "Well, if you're sure. But she better not weigh us down."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora harrumphed, turning away. "You better believe I won't."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The seven of them sat in silence for the next little while, watching the depressing scenery flash by. Eventually, they came to an area covered in shadow. Man-At-Arms stopped the skiff and signalled for them to dismount. "Alright, so as you may have guessed, he's in the massive evil-looking mountain. He has several powerful generals, so watch out for them. Ready?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The rest of them nodded. Glimmer spoke up, "Maybe I can help. I can create an illusion over us, I'd just need to think of something that can move naturally; I can't do invisibility."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He-Man rubbed his chin. "Maybe a cloud of fog. It's pretty easy to notice, but if you make it large enough, we can probably get pretty close, especially if we don't aim exactly for the fortress."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Glimmer shrugged. "Sounds good to me." She traced an intricate rune in the air, it puffing out into a massive cloud. "Everyone, follow me!" They all set off at a fast walk, keeping their eyes and ears peeled for any sign of Skeletor's minions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After about a half hour of this, Catra heard footsteps. "Uh, guys? Something's coming from that way!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They all whirled about to follow her pointing finger, squinting into the fog. They saw a dark shape emerge from the illusory mist, coming into focus as a sorceress, pointing a purple staff at them. "Really? Fog? That's the best you could do?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They all fell into battle stances, waiting for her to make a move. She smirked, then waved a hand, dispelling the mist. The group gasped, seeing that they were surrounded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He-Man scowled. "Nice trick, Evil Lyn. But it won't be enough."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Glimmer sniggered. "Evil Lyn? What kind of a name is that? Is there a good Lyn out there?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sorceress gritted her teeth. "Enough. Now, you're going to surrender yourselves, and be quick about it!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Man-At-Arms spoke up. "We won't surrender to you. Surrender to us now, and you will be treated with honor."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Evil Lyn sighed. "It seems you've made your choice. Boys! Attack!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Glimmer quickly shoved the rest of her team together, teleporting them away from the laser blast that hit the ground where they were. They appeared a hundred feet or so away, outside the circle of enemies. Glimmer then collapsed, the effort proving hard. With the enemies confused, the five remaining fighters (Bow stayed behind to care for his girlfriend) rushed towards the circle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Teela and Adora, both wielding a staff, charged at Trapjaw, who barely was able to swing around and block the stack with his metal arm. Off to the side, Catra circled around Beast Man, using her speed and sharp claws to slowly take the massive beast down. He-Man and Man-At-Arms both rushed at Evil Lyn, dodging her blasts of magic. Bow, who stood in front of the groggy Glimmer, was firing arrows at Triclops, who already had one of his lasers covered by a lucky glue arrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a few minutes, it was unclear who had the upper hand. All sides took minor hits, and it seemed that the battle could go either way. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then with a loud thud, a blue figure dropped down from the sky, coal flapping. Skeletor had arrived.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I see you survived, He-Man. A pity, that. Because now I have to kill you myself." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't be so sure of that, Skullface. You're going to jail for a long time, if I have anything to say about it." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, He-Man, you don't." With that, Skeletor pointed his staff at Teela, who froze. "Now, surrender, or your little friend gets it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He-Man locked eyes with Adora, who nodded. "You're wrong." He pointed his sword at Skeletor. "I'm not surrendering."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Teela gasped, her jaw dropping. Skeletor seemed to raise an eyebrow, although he had none. "Oh? Well then, I suppose I shall make good on my promise." He shot a yellow beam out of the staff, aimed right at Teela, who didn't have time to dodge. It flew at her and struck… a gleaming shield of pale gold. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora stood in front of Teela, eyes aglow with magic. The shield transformed into a sword, which she held aloft. "For the honor… of Grayskull!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone held a hand over their eyes, the transformation's light blinding. When it faded, Teela stood behind Adora, who levied her sword at Skeletor, muscled arm aglow with a soft radiance. "Lay down your staff."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Teela and Skeletor's forces gasped, Skeletor falling back into a defensive stance. "Not a chance."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora shrugged. "So be it." She charged forwards, sweeping a beam at the warlord, who brought up his staff to block it. His minions tried to rush to his defense, but were quickly halted by the emboldened Eternians, who were joined by a refreshed Glimmer and Bow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>While a battle raged in the background, Adora fought with Skeletor, dodging or blocking his shots, and striking back with magical ferocity. One of her strikes knocked the Havoc staff from his hand, forcing him to conjure his swords to block the next powerful blow. Adora kept advancing, parrying slice after slice, making the fight look like a dance. Skeletor managed to get a strike in towards her chest, her sword occupied with his second blade, but she knocked it aside with her hilt, gripping his wrist with her left hand and throwing him to the ground. He managed to scramble up, narrowly avoiding the next blast of magic, and tried to teleport away, but Adora's sword, now a glowing whip, wrapped around him, keeping him from teleporting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Call off your warriors if you want to come back alive." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Skeletor growled. "Fine. Warriors! Stand down!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The battlefield calmed down, everyone seeing the powerful overlord bound, a glowering Adora holding him. Man-At-Arms, who was previously locked in a tense battle with Trapjaw, spoke up. "Surrender, and you will be treated with honor. Resist, and it will not be pleasant."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The shocked warriors quickly laid their weapons down, staring at the eight-foot-tall warrior who held their boss prisoner without struggle. As they were bound and loaded onto the skiff, Catra walked over to her girlfriend, who put an arm around her shoulder. "I saw you fight. You were amazing."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora grinned, dropping the transformation, still leaving the shining bonds on a fuming Skeletor. "Well, you knew what you signed up for when you started dating me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra rolled her eyes. "Ah, shut up."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What, and miss a chance to make you blush? Not a chance, kitty."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra sputtered. "H...hey! That's not fair!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora laughed. "Knew that'd work. Now, why don't you help me carry him back."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra smiled, shaking her head. "Fine. But I'm gonna get you back for that, mark my words."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora winked. "It's a date!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra rolled her eyes, setting Skeletor in the magic-resistant cell on the skiff. "Shut up, you dork."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Don't worry, they may have defeated the main villain of the show in a single chapter, but this isn't a hastily written ending. Trust me on this ;)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Healing at Home, Danger on the Horizon</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Let's try the healing thing again. That worked sooooo well the last time!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>While the Eternian guard locked up the prisoners, who were awaiting trial and judgement, He-Man and Adora went to Castle Grayskull. There, the sorceress opened the drawbridge and brought back to the lower chamber.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now that Skeletor’s out of the game, his power gone, there should be no opposition to the restoration of Eternia.” The sorceress gestured for the two of them to approach the orb. “He-Man, I think you should do this as well. Learning to use the magical side of your powers is important. It will be harmless, and She-Ra will guide you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He-Man walked forwards, then paused. “You’re sure this is safe, right? Last time this happened, Adora got hurt.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora walked to a place across from him and said, with more confidence than she felt, “It will be fine. Now, come on. Time to clean up Prime’s mess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They each laid a hand on the orb, their swords touching the crystalline floor. The sorceress raised her hands, opening the connection, and loosing the power. Adora closed her eyes, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>felt</span>
  </em>
  <span> the magic within the orb, a source of power only rivaled by the Heart of Etheria, flow through her and He-Man, into their swords, and from there into Eternia itself. As the surge of pure magic washed over her, she felt a strangely familiar presence, likely He-Man’s consciousness, brush against her mind briefly and retreat. Eventually, after what seemed like hours of channeling magic, she opened her eyes. “That should do it. Sorceress, if you would?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sorceress closed the connection. Adora let out a long breath, releasing the transformation and plopping down to the floor cross-legged. On the other side, He-Man became Adam, staggering down to one knee, using his sword as a crutch. He smiled weakly at Adora. “Wow… that was pretty crazy. We actually did it, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sorceress nodded. “Here, let me show you.” She waved her hand, showing them a bird’s eye view of Eternia, which was now covered in lush greenery, populated with majestic animals, and veined with beautiful clean rivers. “With the power of the Elders, you were able to do all of this in mere minutes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam smiled. “I wonder what everyone on the surface thinks, seeing all this stuff come in an instant.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora grinned. “Yeah… must be pretty annoying, doing all that work to make the land farmable and then having it all fixed in an instant.” She paused. “Hey, what was that you said? About elders, or something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sorceress briefly froze, then relaxed. “Ah, the power of the Elders. A few decades ago, when Adam was a child, a council of elders reigned over the land. But when Skeletor was driven back, then known as Keldor, they gave up their mortal vessels and live on in this orb, which gives me and He-Man, and probably you too, our strength and powers. You dug into that magic to heal the planet just now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh, interesting. Say, Adam, how old are you anyways?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm? Oh, I’m twenty-two, although my birthday is in two months. What about you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, that’s wonderful! I don’t know my exact age, but I’m pretty close to your age.” Adam looked like he had some questions, so she clarified. “When I was a baby, Lighthope brought me through a portal to Etheria to use me to fire the weapon. It’s been just barely twenty-two years since I came to Etheria, actually, so we might have birthdays close to each other’s!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sorceress interjected, “Wait. Lighthope did that? It stole you from your family and dumped you on a distant planet?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora nodded. “Yeah. Now, to be fair, she was reprogrammed to do anything in her power to fire the weapon, so I would say it’s not her fault, rather the fault of the First Ones who coded her… er, no offense.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam spoke up. “None taken. But still, that’s horrible. Do you have any idea who your parents might be?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora shook her head. “None whatsoever. Shadow Weaver told me I was a First One myself, but then again, she wasn’t exactly the most reliable source.” She sat in silence for a moment, then aggressively facepalmed. “I’m such an idiot! This planet </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> the home of the First Ones! Do you think… my parents could be here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam shrugged. “I don’t know anybody with a mysteriously missing baby. Sorceress?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sorceress opened her mouth as if to say something and shook herself faintly. “I don’t know of anything. But then again, I can’t watch everybody at once. My powers and duties don’t come with omniscience, after all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora stood up. “Well, we’ll figure it out eventually. Now, shall we go onto the surface? It looks lovely.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sorceress nodded, moving one of the platforms towards them to act as an elevator. After a bit of walking around the labyrinth of a castle, they cane to the drawbridge which lowered… to sunlight.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re on the… surface? Weren’t we just underground?” Adam looked up at the blue sky, the sun raining heat down on the new flora.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sorceress shielded her eyes. “Perhaps the magic of the Elders did more than we had… expected.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora whistled softly. “Every time I healed a planet, it took days for the first blades of grass to sprout. But for it to all happen at once, well, the last time that happened I was using the Heart. That orb held a lot of magic; I can see why Skeletor wanted it so badly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stood on the stone bridge in silence for a while, watching animals run through the nearby woods. Suddenly, Man-At-Arms started. “Wait. If this castle came above ground, what happened to the palace?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They all halted, and looked at each other. Then the sorceress spoke. “Quickly! Let me teleport you back; I’ll watch from the castle. We will likely need prince Adam and Man-At-Arms to calm everyone.” They all nodded. “Good. Now let us hurry into the castle!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam, seeing Adora’s confusion, clarified: “The sorceress draws her power from the orb we used. It only works within the walls.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora paused for a bit, then shrugged. “Eh, whatever.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They rushed into the castle, where the sorceress raised her arms, hands aglow with magic. Adora’s jaw gritted slightly at the sight, but the slight gesture went unnoticed. A flash of light surrounded them, and then they stood within the palace.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Son? Man-At-Arms? What is happening?” The king stood at a console, several people on the screen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Man-At-Arms stepped forwards. “The sorceress sent me here. He-Man and She-Ra have brought life back to Eternia. Is everything alright? Is the village doing well?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The king sighed. “Everyone’s ok, although the fields grew enough weeds to choke a dragon. Luckily, the crops grew as well, so we’ll have food. Oh… and apparently the entire damn city rose out of the ground without us feeling a thing? Whatever magic He-Man used, it was powerful indeed. Well, anyways, I’m currently talking with the citizens. Actually, would the three of you mind going over there with my guards and helping them rebuild? As you know, we don’t have much manpower.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora shrugged. “I don’t have anything planned today, sure. Should I get my friends?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Man-At-Arms waved the idea off. “We’ll just tell them to come. We should get there as soon as possible; who knows what kinds of help they need.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They left quickly, hopping on a skiff with the handful of guards to take them the few miles towards the town. When they arrived, they saw the twenty or so Eternians, cutting down the flora that had grown throughout the pathways, and apparently in the houses; one of them even had a large tree growing through the roof.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Man-At-Arms hopped off the skiff. “Greetings! The king sent us over, where can we help?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The mayor walked up to him, wiping the sweat off his forehead. “Well, as you can see, we’re just trying to clear the paths. We hope to get those clear by evening, so that when we start clearing out the houses tomorrow, we’ll be able to bring in wheelbarrows. I must say, this was very unexpected. So… I guess just go and find a place that needs it? Right now, we’re just pulling brush up. If we finish this early, we’ll head to the field and try to clear those too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The group assented, and headed into the village, which was so overgrown it looked like it was abandoned centuries ago. They quickly got to work, falling into step beside the other workers.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a few hours, the sun beginning to graze the mountaintops, Adam dumped the newest load of greenery into the fire and glanced off to the horizon, looking at the distant wreck of a spire. Then he started, shading his eyes against the setting sun. His mouth dropped in horror, and he sprinted straight towards Man-At-Arms, whispering into the general’s ear. Man-At-Arms dropped his load on the spot, and rushed to the skiff to grab a pair of binoculars. Adora, who was by now joined by Catra, watched them run off curiously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra followed her gaze. “Should we follow them? It looks important.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora shrugged. “If they needed us, they’d call us over. Besides, this street isn’t gonna burn itself!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra hummed, watching them excitedly point off into the distance. “Still. How about we dump a load off and then go and check in? They look worried.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds good enough.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They both walked over to the roaring flames, heaving in their armfuls of greenery and stepping back from the extreme heat. Adora looked into the direction that Adam did, curiously, and saw a startling sight: a white and green ship, flying near the ground, headed straight for them.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Short chapter today. It's been a while since I updated, so if you were eagerly awaiting the next chapter, sorry. I just started college up again and... yeah.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Blind Rage</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A fight breaks out between He-Man and an old friend who seems to be not quite all there.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Adam ducked into a blind spot in the houses, pulling out his sword and transforming. All the villagers were hiding in the houses, peeking at the approaching Horde hovercraft. Adora stretched her hand out to summon She-Ra, but Catra gestured at the multitude of witnesses, hissing her words. “You can’t do it, not here. The people here don’t know you’re Her, and you know we have to keep it between us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora sighed. “Between us Etherians… and He-Man, and Man-At-Arms, and the sorceress, and Teela, and Skeletor, and his minions…” Catra merely raised an eyebrow. “Ok, fine. But if I need to, I’m totally disregarding this all and changing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra shrugged. “Sounds fair to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They lapsed into silence, peering around the side of an ivy-covered wall as the pale shape in the distance grew closer. As it got close, the only audible sounds its engines and the nearby leaves rustling in the wind, everyone could make out the distinctive elegant yet ominous pattern of green and white. It pulled to a stop by the bonfire, hovering a foot off the ground. From behind the buildings stepped He-Man, Man-At-Arms, and Teela, weapons pointed at the ship.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He-Man’s deep voice echoed faintly as he called out, “Halt and surrender, or face the consequences.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The top of the cockpit hissed, a dark figure holding some sort of weapon rising out of it. However, the silhouette was not that of a robot or clone, but rather a figure that Adora had never seen before. A scratchy voice came down. “He-Man? Is that… you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>From a distance, the standoff might look ridiculous. On the ground, an extremely muscular man was pointing a sword at the figure up top, who was a tall man with a ragged beard a foot long, holding a laser cannon that once must’ve been on the arm of a clone. Oh, and from his wrists protruded a set of wings, their once-beautiful feathers marred and dirty.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The three members of the Eternian guard all gasped. Man-At-Arms managed to speak, his weapon arm falling to his side.. “Stratos? Can it be?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bird-man narrowed his gaze. “So you know who I am. But that isn’t enough, is it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He-Man glared up. “What in the name of Grayskull are you blathering on about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stratos jerked his gaze from Man-At-Arms to stare at He-Man. “You’ll have to do better than that to fool me, you accursed soul. I can see through you, straight to the puppeteer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Teela hesitantly spoke up. “Uh, Stratos? What’s happening? Do you need help?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stratos’ eyes darted over to her, and Adora began to doubt his sanity. “So he has you all. Even you, He-Man. It seems I have no choice…” Almost as if in a trance, a shaky smile on his lips, he raised the alien laser cannon towards He-Man, activating the sickly green beam.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>He-Man doged to the side, the beam hitting the street. Teela and Man-At-Arms ducked behind a building, watching in horror. Stratos fired again at the warrior, who blocked it with his sword, the force shoving him backwards. “Stratos! Stop this madness! I don’t want to hurt you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stratos scoffed, leaping onto the top of the ship and firing from his new vantage point. “I’m not falling for your tricks again. If you’re as smart as you say, you’d know this won’t work on me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What. In. The. Blazes. Are. You. Talking. About?” He-Man grunted as a blast to the sword sent him stumbling backwards into a wall. “What trick are you speaking of?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the two fought, Stratos keeping everyone who tried to approach at bay, Catra narrowed her eyes, squinting at his face. “I can’t see his eyes, he’s moving too much. I’m going to try and get closer; see if he’s…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora finished the sentence as Catra trailed off, unconsciously scratching at the circular scar on her neck. “See if he’s chipped. It’s a good plan, but I can’t let you go out there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra sighed. “Fine. You go talk to Man-At-Arms, I think he has some binoculars. That should be enough.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora watched the deranged avian battle He-Man, searching for an opening that would allow her to dart across the thoroughfare. </span>
  <em>
    <span>There.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Just as He-Man dodged a blast, and Stratos charged his weapon back up, she ran through the dust, making it next to Man-At-Arms unharmed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Man-At-Arms, quick! Do you have some binoculars?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He furrowed his brow, fumbling through his belt. “Here you go… may I ask why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora peeked around the building, ducking back from a rock flying towards her. “Prime can take control of people, making them his slaves. If that happened, we can help him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Man-At-Arms gasped. “That’s horrible!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora nodded. “Let’s hope we can fix this soon.” She jumped across the alley, running low to the ground. She stood up in front of Catra, panting faintly. “H… here you go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks. Did you get hurt?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. Now hurry, there are people in these houses!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra looked around for a safe vantage point, and settled on climbing up the side of a building, the thick vines giving her enough purchase to clamber to the top. She pulled out the binoculars and looked at Stratos, who was growing increasingly angry with He-Man’s constant deflection. She zeroed in on his eyes, hoping to get a glimpse through the goggles, but they were too dark. She leapt from roof to roof, making sure to stay hidden, and eventually was able to pick out the back of his neck—but it was chipless, albeit grimy beyond belief. She gasped in disbelief, and made to head back to Adora, but in her haste she stumbled into a bush, the leaves rustling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stratos turned in confusion, and upon seeing her, turned his blaster on her. Adora’s heart stopped, and she held her hand out, the words of the transformation on the tip of her tongue… and He-Man crashed into Stratos, the laser taking out a few trees by the edge of the forest, but otherwise harming nobody. Adora breathed out, her heart pounding in her ears, and ran towards Catra. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well? Did you see it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra shook her head solemnly. “No, there’s no chip. Whatever’s making him do this, it’s not Prime.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A crashing sound came from the wrestling men, drawing their attention. He-Man had just hurled the laser far away, it shattering on the ground. Stratos feebly swiped at the warrior, but He-Man lifted him off the ground and threw him away, Stratos skidding for several feet. Amazingly, he still stood and tried to fight, but it was clear that he had some injuries. He-Man drew his sword and stalked towards Stratos, breaking into a charge as he tried to escape. However, He-Man’s power allowed him to easily outpace the malnourished man, quick reflexes the only thing that saved the madman’s life from He-Man’s powerful swipe. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Man-At-Arms rushed towards the duo, Teela following close behind. “He-Man! Stop! He’s helpless!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He-Man ignored their pleas, his fist slamming into a tree where Stratos had been standing a moment ago, instantly splintering the wood. Despite Man-At-Arms trying to hold her back, Teela dashed in between He-Man and Stratos, arms raised. “Stop, stop! You can’t!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He casually brushed her off with a backhand, sending her skidding across the rough ground. Man-At-Arms rushed to her aid, and Adora and Catra were running towards the brutal scene, but they were all too far to stop He-Man. He raised his sword to strike downwards… and plunged it into the dirt beside Stratos, falling to his knees and clutching his head, leaving the translucent blade in the ground, groaning in pain. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Man-At-Arms looked up from Teela, who was alive, albeit with a few broken ribs. “He-Man? What just happened? Explain yourself!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He-Man sat up slowly, rubbing his forehead. “I… I don’t know. I remember parrying those lasers, and then seeing him aim at somebody else, and… it’s all a blur from there.” He seemed to notice Teela for the first time. “Teela! Are you all right? What happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Man-At-Arms glowered. “What happened is you were about to murder a defenseless man, and Teela tried to stop you. And thanks to you, she’s hurt.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No… that can’t be. I would never hurt Teela.” He moved towards her, hand outstretched, but she shied away from him. “Teela, please… you know I wouldn’t hurt you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked down, wincing at the movement, and said, “Before today, I would have agreed with you. But with what just happened… I don’t know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora and Catra caught up, panting. Catra was the first to catch her breath, surveying the scene. “Wow, what happened here? Looks like a warzone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Man-At-Arms, who was resting Teela on a smoother spot of dirt, looked up. “He-Man went berserk. I don’t know what happened, but Teela got hurt, and Stratos almost died.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora noticed Teela for the first time, and let out a small yelp of surprise as she rushed over to her, concentrating and glowing with She-Ra’s healing light. Teela groaned, her ribs slowly reknitting. With a sigh, the blonde sat back, exhausted from the magic. “There…” She blew out a sigh. “Just don’t do anything crazy, and you should be back to normal soon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora swayed, Catra laying a steadying hand on her shoulder. He-Man looked down at his hands, thinking. “Man-At-Arms, why don’t you take everyone back to the palace. I need to go speak with the sorceress. I think she'll want to hear of this."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I think my chapters are getting shorter, huh. Anyways, now that I'm all set up at school, I can update now! I won't be using a schedule in the foreseeable future, and honestly I just release these as soon as I finish writing and proofreading them. So, if anyone's still here, thank you for reading my work!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. You Are Not Alone</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>After his strange experience, He-Man leaves to seek solitude. Adora and Catra go to comfort him.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Stratos lay in the hospital, unconscious still, with Man-At-Arms sitting in the chair besides the bed, head in hands. A knock sounded at the door, and after a moment, the king walked in, standing over Stratos. “How could this have happened? He was such a good man.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Man-At-Arms shifted, sitting upright. “We left him out there for five years… five long years. While we were down here hiding, he was… up there. With </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Randor shuddered, coming to sit next to Man-At-Arms. “At least he’s here now. When he wakes up, I just hope he stays calm. We don’t want an unfortunate repeat of… what happened. Speaking of which, has He-Man returned?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Man-At-Arms shook his head. “Castle Grayskull is far from the village. And you know how he is; only showing up in times of need.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“True enough. Well, I wish I could stand vigil with you, but…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go on, do your kingly duties. I think I can watch a sleeping man.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, old friend.” The king stood up, heading to the door. “Oh, by the way, have you seen my son around lately? I haven’t seen him since he left with you to the village.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Man-At-Arms froze for a split second—short enough that the king wouldn’t notice. “I think he went for a little walk in the woods. Something about clearing his head.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The king nodded. “Makes sense. Seeing one’s hero act… he needs the time. Well, I’ll be leaving. If he wakes, contact me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Man-At-Arms nodded. “Understood, your highness.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The king left, leaving the room silent except for the faint beeping of the machine. A little while later, a nurse came in and checked the vital signs, taking notes on a clipboard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Man-At-Arms cleared his throat. “Excuse me… if it wouldn’t be too much to ask, could you sent Adora in here? I would like to speak with her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The nurse nodded. “Of course!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She left, and a few minutes later Adora came in. “Ah, Adora. Here, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble, could you go and talk with He-Man? I think he needs it. He’ll be at Grayskull; I trust you know the way?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora shrugged. “Yeah, it’s not too hard to remember.” She walked over to Stratos. “Do you know if he’s close to waking up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The nurse says it’ll be anywhere from now to this evening, but he’s not in a coma. Just malnourished and the like. Do you need a skiff?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not that far.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fair enough. Well, don’t let me keep you waiting.” He waved her out.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora walked into her apartment, tossing some food in her pack. Catra walked out of their room, yawning. “Hey, ‘Dora. You going somewhere?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora looked up from the water bottle she was filling. “Yeah. I’m going to go talk to He-Man, he’s been at the castle for a while now. You wanna come? I think it’ll be ok. After all, you do already know who He-Man really is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra stretched, rolling her head around. “Sure, why not. I could use a hike.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They got ready mostly in silence, Adora bringing along their jackets—it was still spring, and the nights were chilly. They left the palace complex, walking through the forest to the castle. After a little, Catra looked at Adora, and started running. “Race you there!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora sputtered, running after he girlfriend. “Hey, you don’t even know where it is! And not fair, I’m carrying the backpack!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra jumped over a log, turning back to stick her tongue out at Adora, then went down on all fours, speeding up. Adora’s daily workout paid off, though, her strong legs allowing her to start catching up. “Can’t get rid of me that easily!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They ran for a bit, Adora managing to be close enough to never quite lose sight of Catra. Eventually, they broke out of the forest, both of them panting from the exertion. Not far away stood the castle, a large ravine surrounding it. “Well, well, well, looks like I actually beat you in a race for once.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora turned to Catra, smirking. “We’re not there yet.” Catra took a second to process it, and in that moment Adora started running. Catra started running soon after and was actually able to close the gap, barely pulling ahead by the time they got to the bridge—then Adora started glowing, her enhanced legs easily propelling her to the edge of the bridge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra caught up to Adora. “Hey, that’s not very fair, is it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora shrugged, panting deeply. “Not… not my fault that… hoooo… gimme a second.” She took a swig of water, breathing deeply. “S’not my fault that you can’t turn into an 8-foot tall magical being, that’s on you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra lightly punched Adora. “Ah, shut up. Anyways, how are we going to go inside?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At that, the great drawbridge creaked open, thudding into the ground near them. Adora shrugged. “Gee, I have no idea. Any ideas?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra sighed, walking inside, Adora right behind her. Adora turned down a side pathway, navigating the maze with surprising ease. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Adora? Where are we going?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora didn’t answer for a second, lost in thought. “I’m not sure. I just… have a feeling that this is the right way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra shrugged. After all, weirder stuff has happened to them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a minute of walking down dimly lit corridors, they came across a large wooden door, which Adora pushed open. On the other side lay a beautiful courtyard, flowers blooming by the small stream that ran through it. On a bench by the river sat Adam, his sword laying across his lap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora walked over, shutting the door behind her and Catra. They walked over to Adam, marvelling at the plants. “May we sit with you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam looked up. “Oh hi, didn’t hear you. Sure.” He scooted over to one side, and the girls sat down beside each other. “So, why’d you come here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We wanted to make sure you’re doing ok. You looked like you needed some support.” Adora sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam grunted in agreement, holding the sword so it reflected his face back at him. “What happened back there… I don’t know if it’s going to happen again. I don’t know if I can take that risk again. I hurt my friends, and almost </span>
  <em>
    <span>killed</span>
  </em>
  <span> somebody. Maybe it’s best if He-Man retired for a bit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra scoffed. “That’s a </span>
  <em>
    <span>terrible</span>
  </em>
  <span> idea. Skeletor may be gone, but Eternia still needs He-Man—it needs you. I’ll admit, I’ve done horrible things to those I love. I’m not proud of it. But did I lock myself in my room and never come out? No. I changed.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora laid a comforting hand on Catra’s knee. “She’s right. Anyone can change. Even Hordak, the person who nearly conquered our planet in the name of the Horde, eventually changed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam sighed. “But I didn’t choose to attack. I can’t change something I never tried to do. If I transform… who knows when it’ll happen again? Maybe next time I’ll badly hurt someone, or worse.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora drew her mouth into a line. “I don’t like to talk about this much, but when I was forced to fire the heart… I nearly destroyed the entire universe. Lighthope, or at least the reprogrammed version of her, just took control of me like a puppet. I could barely even slow it down. In the end, I was able to stop it and shatter the sword, but only barely. We can’t condemn ourselves for things out of our control.”</span>
</p><p><span>Adam tapped on the sword, his nails clinking on the strange material. “You broke the sword… how could you do that? I know that in the moment that must’ve been the only way </span> <span>to save everything but… I don’t think I could ever do that. You didn’t even know you could bring She-Ra back.”</span></p><p>
  <span>“I knew that I would make any sacrifice to keep my friends safe. And I’ll be honest, the first few weeks after it happened, it was really hard. I had gotten so used to being able to transform into She-Ra and just magic my problems away, that those weeks fighting Prime’s army was pretty much the worst I’ve ever felt.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra set her hand on Adora’s and squeezed, Adora giving a grateful smile back. Adam looked up at her, and nodded. “Well, I don’t think I can do what you did, I’m not strong enough. But I will return to the palace. At least there’s not really much need for He-Man.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They all stood up and left, passing the sorceress who was tending to a flower bed. They went through the maze, the drawbridge opening before them, and came out onto the stone bridge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, where’d you park?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora and Catra looked at each other. “We walked here. Well, mostly ran, but you know how it is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You came here on foot? But the castle’s miles away!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra smirked. “What, can’t you walk for a bit?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam sighed. “Fair enough. Although, I was kind of hoping to be back in time for dinner. Clearing out that town took a lot out of me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora swung her pack off and handed him a foil-wrapped package. “Here, this should tide you over until we get back.” She hoisted her backpack up again, and they started walking. Shortly, Adam stopped, looking at the bar in amazement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is this? It’s terrible!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora looked puzzled. “Terrible? Let me see that.” She looked at the bar. “It looks fine. I made sure to only bring the gray ration bars. What’s wrong?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam was shocked. “You guys eat these on purpose? But they’re just so… bland!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra raised an eyebrow. “At least it’s not the brown kind. Trust me, bland isn’t the worst it goes. And I’ve been trying to tell Adora that we don’t have to eat these anymore but she just keeps insisting they’re good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey! I’ll have you know they’re extremely useful! Plenty of nutrition, plus they’re super easy to pack!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra stage-whispered to Adam, “Note how she didn’t say they tasted good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam chuckled, and Adora groaned. “Oh, hush. Next time I just won’t bring supplies, and we’ll see just how hungry you get.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Laughing and joking, they entered the forest, heading back to the palace.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I don't know if anyone's really noticed this, but I try to keep Adam and He-Man separate. Not because of the thing that happened, just that using the Sword of Power (like Adora/She-Ra) turns him into the First Ones' idea of He-Man, not his own being. Now that Adora broke the sword and transformed for herself, I call her Adora in both forms. Just a little tidbit I thought I'd share ;p</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This happens to be my first fanfic, so constructive criticism is welcome! One thing I wish I had more ideas about is the way that she heals the planet; if anyone has a more elegant (but also balanced) idea on how to work with that, I'd be more than happy to try and work it in! Thank you for taking the time to read this; I'll try to get another chapter out soon!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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